Kit(tens) caboodle!
YWAC partners with yoga, Pilates groups to raise funds, find homes
This weekend, “Kitten Pilates with Susie Que” will take place from 1 to 2 p.m., Saturday, July 25, at 151 Sherway Road, while later in August events are planned at Down Dog Knox and again with Susie Que.
A planned yoga session at Blue Ridge Yoga & Wellness Center in Farragut this weekend has been cancelled.
Cost for Saturday’s session is $20, with all proceeds going to the YWAC.
During the class, participants will be able to interact and play with a litter of kittens provided by YWAC.
“Guests will have 30 minutes of play time with the kittens, then a 30-minute yoga session, but they can snuggle and pet and play as much as they like,” said Stephanie Eastman Vozar, YWAC’s director of development. “They could also adopt a kitten after the event from our Center.”
It is not the first year the “Kitten Yoga and Pilates” events have taken place, but stricter guidelines have been enforced because of the threat of COVID-19, she explained.
“We are only allowed to have 10 people at a time in the events, and the studios are making sure proper cleaning takes place,” Eastman Vozar said.
Participants also are asked to wear masks and bring their own yoga mats.
“During the time of COVID-19, it has really been a difficult time, so we really are in need of money or donated items,” Eastman Vozar said. “Money not only goes to our facilities and programs, but we have also been helping people in the community who have found it financially difficult to care for their pets.
“If they need food or supplies, we have been able to help do everything we can to make sure they can keep their pets,” she added. “We also have an ongoing wish list on Amazon, where people can purchase items that will be delivered straight to us.”
Eastman Vozar also said YWAC needs volunteers.
YWAC has two locations in Knoxville: 6400 Kingston Pike, in Bearden and 3201 Division St. near the UT campus.
Visit www.young-williams.org/events for more information.
